NEW DELHI: New restrictions are likely to be imposed in Mumbai and parts of the state on Tuesday, as the second wave of Covid-19 infections shows no signs of abating.
The restrictions could include new attendance rules for offices and businesses, some control over crowds at temples and shrines, and cool bars at social, private and public events.
Mumbai on Saturday recorded its biggest single-day increase this year with 1,709 new cases. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in an attempt to tell residents where the city was headed, tweeted that as of January 11 this year, the city had registered only 239 new cases.
The figures for the state were no less worrying with 15,602 new cases and 88 deaths. Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Thane are currently the worst affected districts in the state. The state contributed more than half of all registered cases in the country.
Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray was scheduled to spend the weekend meeting with company bosses; restaurant and hotel owners; and heads of great temples, churches and mosques. On Tuesday, he will hold consultations with key members of the state’s Covid-19 Task Force, Senior Vice Minister Ajit Pawar, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and Senior Secretary Sitaram Kunte.
Thackeray, on more than one occasion in the past two weeks, has threatened to re-impose restrictions on the movement of people and large gatherings if people refuse to follow simple instructions such as wearing masks in public and following social distancing.
The BMC, for its part, has decided to increase the number of private hospitals that participate in vaccination from 50 to 88 with the aim of inoculating 100,000 people every day. A political decision has been made to eventually allow all hospitals with more than 50 beds to carry out vaccination.
Top doctors and administrators said on Saturday that reports that a new strain of Covid-19 is responsible for the increase are not true and it is just people’s insensitive approach towards social distancing, wearing masks and maintaining the general hygiene which is contributing to the rampant numbers.
While blockades and curfews have been declared in some cities, including Nagpur, Amravati and Parbhani, Thackeray is likely to announce new rules for the micro-blockade and the declaration of containment zones on Tuesday.
The head of the State Task Force, Dr. Sanjay Oak, said that in terms of precautions, Mumbai and other cities will have to return to discipline from last summer. “This is not a new strain. No evidence has been presented to the Working Group indicating that the increase in numbers is attributable to a Covid-19 mutation, “he said.
While the focus at this point is to increase vaccination, the accumulated advantage due to this is being lost to the rapid increase in infections as people rush to resume their social lives. “Our estimate is that only when 80% of the state’s population is vaccinated will we be able to assume some kind of control over the situation, but we are nowhere near that,” he said.
The Task Force has asked the state government to increase the number of vaccination centers. “New centers can be installed in complexes of residential societies. We have also ordered mobile vans to provide door-to-door vaccination services, ”Dr. Oak said, adding that“ people need to understand that one infected person can infect 400 others. “.
Working Group member Dr Rahul Pandit said that while Maharashtra is clearly in the grip of a second wave, the detection of such a large number of infections is also related to the state’s ability to carry out tests. Mumbai and the Metropolitan Region conduct more than 20,000 tests every day, the highest of any major city in the country. The ratio of RTPCT tests to antigen tests is also higher in Mumbai at 70:30.
Another member of the Task Force, Dr. Shashank Joshi, said that the positivity rate has risen worryingly from 2% to 7% in Mumbai and the MMR region. “While it was previously the norm to screen 20 people for each primary infection, we have suggested that this should be increased to 30 people for each primary infection. If more than 15 positive people are found in an area, that area should be sealed. ”Dr. Joshi said the Task Force has also asked BMC to enforce the use of double masks on local trains and busy places like markets.
The silver lining, Dr. Joshi said, is the low death rate: 0.5% in Mumbai and 2.5% in the state.
Government-imposed measures
The restrictions could include new attendance rules for offices and businesses, some control over crowds at temples and shrines, and cool bars at social, private and public events.
Mumbai on Saturday recorded its biggest single-day increase this year with 1,709 new cases. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in an attempt to tell residents where the city was headed, tweeted that as of January 11 this year, the city had registered only 239 new cases.
The figures for the state were no less worrying with 15,602 new cases and 88 deaths. Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Thane are currently the worst affected districts in the state. The state contributed more than half of all registered cases in the country.
Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray was scheduled to spend the weekend meeting with company bosses; restaurant and hotel owners; and heads of great temples, churches and mosques. On Tuesday, he will hold consultations with key members of the state’s Covid-19 Task Force, Senior Vice Minister Ajit Pawar, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and Senior Secretary Sitaram Kunte.
Thackeray, on more than one occasion in the past two weeks, has threatened to re-impose restrictions on the movement of people and large gatherings if people refuse to follow simple instructions such as wearing masks in public and following social distancing.
The BMC, for its part, has decided to increase the number of private hospitals that participate in vaccination from 50 to 88 with the aim of inoculating 100,000 people every day. A political decision has been made to eventually allow all hospitals with more than 50 beds to carry out vaccination.
Top doctors and administrators said on Saturday that reports that a new strain of Covid-19 is responsible for the increase are not true and it is just people’s insensitive approach towards social distancing, wearing masks and maintaining the general hygiene which is contributing to the rampant numbers.
While blockades and curfews have been declared in some cities, including Nagpur, Amravati and Parbhani, Thackeray is likely to announce new rules for the micro-blockade and the declaration of containment zones on Tuesday.
The head of the State Task Force, Dr. Sanjay Oak, said that in terms of precautions, Mumbai and other cities will have to return to discipline from last summer. “This is not a new strain. No evidence has been presented to the Working Group indicating that the increase in numbers is attributable to a Covid-19 mutation, “he said.
While the focus at this point is to increase vaccination, the accumulated advantage due to this is being lost to the rapid increase in infections as people rush to resume their social lives. “Our estimate is that only when 80% of the state’s population is vaccinated will we be able to assume some kind of control over the situation, but we are nowhere near that,” he said.
The Task Force has asked the state government to increase the number of vaccination centers. “New centers can be installed in complexes of residential societies. We have also ordered mobile vans to provide door-to-door vaccination services, ”Dr. Oak said, adding that“ people need to understand that one infected person can infect 400 others. “.
Working Group member Dr Rahul Pandit said that while Maharashtra is clearly in the grip of a second wave, the detection of such a large number of infections is also related to the state’s ability to carry out tests. Mumbai and the Metropolitan Region conduct more than 20,000 tests every day, the highest of any major city in the country. The ratio of RTPCT tests to antigen tests is also higher in Mumbai at 70:30.
Another member of the Task Force, Dr. Shashank Joshi, said that the positivity rate has risen worryingly from 2% to 7% in Mumbai and the MMR region. “While it was previously the norm to screen 20 people for each primary infection, we have suggested that this should be increased to 30 people for each primary infection. If more than 15 positive people are found in an area, that area should be sealed. ”Dr. Joshi said the Task Force has also asked BMC to enforce the use of double masks on local trains and busy places like markets.
The silver lining, Dr. Joshi said, is the low death rate: 0.5% in Mumbai and 2.5% in the state.
Government-imposed measures
- Double masks recommended for travel on local trains.
- 30 people should be tracked for each primary infection
- Seal orders if more than 15 test positive in one area
- New rules for micro-locks, containment zones
- 38 more private hospitals to carry out vaccination
.
